The_Keeper:

I totally agree with you! Many of the people posting ignorant messages here are blinded by their own religions, whether they be Christianity, Islam, Conservatism, Bushism, or anything else.

Rather than bring about constructive dialogue about world affairs, they choose to attack groups in order to bring sense to these attacks. But no sense can be found! Terrorists are monsters, acting on impulses brought about by mental illness, abuse and brainwashing. That's why we will never overcome terrorism - because most are of the belief that we can teach those people a thing or two by bombing their families and their countries. Violence breeds violence, which is so evident here with each political posting receiving a bevy of rebuttals and venomous retorts.

Be respectful of others, try to open your mind, don't hate, because if you breed those virtues in your small worlds and families, then maybe it will catch on one day.

Then what do you do Silvita? Do you bow to terrorism and hope they never attack you? How many on these boards believe that peace CAN'T be achieved through bloodshed? I ask this because all to often I see sentements such as, "We will never defeat terrorism and killing them is not the answer" etc. What is the answer? It may very well be the end of time but I do not see backing down as a feasible option. We must attack, and attack swiftly. We must continue to fight even if it means my grandchildren are still fighting in their day (I'm 31, so that's a ways away). We cannot fight terrorism with diplomacy. It can only be fought by the sword.

Silvita,
I wish it were so easy. These folks are not stupid, abused, brain washed or mentally ill. They may use such folks as their foot soldiers, but the masterminds are often brilliantly playing a game of chess as representative of the dark side. Did you see my post on Al-Q getting an A+- It is of a CNN report taken from Al-Q BEFORE the bombing. EVERYTHING unfoled EXACTLY as planned. Actually, I am wrong. The only difference, is that Al-Q though they needed two separate bombings to achieve their aims, they achieved their goals with one.

It would be a grave mistake to underestimate how much horror they can inflict. We are just witnessing the beginning. It has nothing to do with violence begetting violence. From their perspective, it has to do to will a battel of wills and ideologies. Evil yes. Inferior of mind, no.

They DID attack me, Kevin. I lived in NYC during Sept. 11 and remember it quite well. You should really learn to think before you write.

You should really reflect on why you insist on attacking people who try to promote peace. You should take a good look at yourselves and question why you feel it is necessary to jump on people who obviously feel no ill towards you. I pray for people like you.

And we HAVE attacked them. We've launched two wars in as many years and yet, here they are again, killing en masse. Your plan isn't working either!!!!

And by mental illness, I do not mean that they are dumb. I do not underestimate their power, especially since I saw it first hand 2.5 years ago.

first off, I haven't ATTACKED anyone on these boards. Don't confuse me with someone else. Secondly, I am talking about the future. You can pray for peace all you want. I can assure you, the terrorists are not. Pray for peace all you want. History doesn't side with you.

....and Sivita, please answer the question. What do you think we should do? Try to negotiate peace with them? Honestly, I am trying to get where you are coming from.

Though wars are always questinoable, fighting terrorism should never be.

Who made the 11-S and 11-M bombings? Iraqis? Afghans?

No. In the first one the majority were saudits, in the second ones it seems they were moroccians. Have you (or we) attacked their countries? No. So even the theory of self-defense is non consistent.

Negotiating with terrorists is never the best solution. It is an easy solution, but never the best. They can obviously kill people from time to time to cause terror and panic, but if you give them something, they will bomb again the time they want more.

What we have to do is crush them, cut their finance, isolate them politically, jail their members and try to prevent as many attacks as possible.

Fernando

Madridman,

4 Americans where injured in the bomb attacks but I am not sure what there names are.

As soon as I heard about the new pm and also the possible pulling out of troops on June 30 one of my first thought was whats going to happen to the unemployment level. Does anyone know what the new leaders stance on unemployment is and what he plans to do to combat unemployment? I would hate to see alot spaniards losing jobs because of the pull out. The unemployment rate is already very high for a developed country in my opinion. Which is something like 11% I believe and I would hate to see it rise further.

Here is a partial plan, Kevin. I could think of many more. This is my last e-mail on the subject, because I don't intend to change your mind, I intend to show you that a one-track ideology grossly underestimates the complexity of the middle east.

The first thing I would do is re-evaluate ties with Saudi Arabia. Did you know that in the past two decades, U.S. construction companies and arms suppliers have made over $50 billion in Saudi Arabia? Over 30,000 U.S. citizens are employed by Saudi corporations, or by joint Saudi-U.S. corporate partnerships. And we currently have 15,000 troops in a country that Muslims deem their holy land. Did you know that Abu Zubaydah, the mastermind behind the USS Cole bombing and one of the chief operations officers for Al-Qaeda, when he was being interrogated by the CIA, told agents, posing as Saudi officers, that Prince Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz would get him out of trouble (giving them the Prince's private telephone number!), claiming that the Prince had prior knowledge of the 9-11 attacks? Yes, Prince Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz is closely related to Prince Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, who coincidentally has gone on hunting trips to Europe with James Baker and George Bush, Sr.

Secondly, I would revive the peace plan talks between Israel and Palestine. I would work with other countries to establish a Palestinian state and I would definitely stop unconditionally supporting the conservative Sharon regime, who by the way is in violation of many UN resolutions, just like Saddam Hussein. Millions of moderate and progressive Muslims who truly denounce terrorism are frustrated by our relationship with Israel, financed by more than $3 billion in annual subsidies. Think about that.

The launching of military strikes does NOTHING to suppress terrorism, and only erodes American credibility in the Muslim world. When Bush said that we have to recapture the hearts and minds of muslims in the middle east, perhaps he didn't understand that bombing civilians wouldn't do that for us.

Silvita, you have a point there.

Bush promissed that after Iraq's War the Palestine-Israel issue would be solved by making possible a palestinian state. We have heard nothing of it until the moment, and Sharon continues making state terrorism against palestinians (terrorists and common people alike).

It is hard to sell the good consequences of the war when we haven't seen results yet (other than kicking Saddam out of Iraq, but he is a dictator between a hundred).

Fernando

Las Ketchup wrote: . Thanks, Las Ketchup. I haven't heard anything about this in the USA press which surprises me.

Saludos, MadridMan